The first book we read as a whole class was The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This book is written in the perspective of a young and poor girl named Esperanza, who wants to escape Mango Street and build a better life through her education. Throughout this story Esperanza encounters women who influence her to become an independent woman. By meeting these people she learns that she can only depend on herself instead of relying on a man to help her escape Mango Street. In The House On Mango Street we also live through Esperanza's journey of growing up. She starts off as a little girl naive of where she is from. She slowly accepts the fact that Mango Street shapes her into the strong independent woman we meet at the end of the book.
Right from the start I fell in love with this book. Esperanza's story can teach all woman that they don't need to rely on a man to help them out in life. Esperanza is a very strong and great influence for woman of all ages.
The True Diary Of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
For first semester we also read The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This book takes place on an Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. This is the story of a limited native american boy named Junior, who wanted a better future for himself. He takes it upon himself to make a change for his future by asking his parents to switch schools. He transferred to the school right outside the Indian reservation. At first he got bullied for not being white but as the book continued he started to get along with everyone at school. At the end he knew that he made the right choice of deciding to leave his Indian Reservation.
The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein
The third book we read was Art of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein. This book was written in a dog's point of view about his life and the life of the ones he truly loves. The main character's name is Enzo. This book takes place in Seattle where it rains all the time. His owner is Denny who is a race car driver. Enzo takes us through the story of how Denny goes through ups and downs that Enzo lives with him. Enzo learns that life takes a lot ofhard work and dedication. The beginning of the book was a bit slow but I ended up loving this book. I shed some tears and took in a heartfelt story about a dog and his owner. I loved Art of Racing In the Rain.